President Joe Biden says Americans will see the effects of the infrastructure bill in two to three months, after the House passed the bill Friday after months of negotiations. So what’s in the bill? The legislation includes funding for roads and bridges, power grids, rail, broadband internet, water, climate policies, and others; $110 billion has been earmarked for roads and bridges, $73 billion to upgrade the electric grid; $66 billion for passenger and freight rail, $65 billion to broadband, $55 billion for improved water quality, and $50 billion for climate provisions.
But in other areas, Biden is facing pushback. A federal appeals court blocked Biden’s vaccine mandate for private employers. The court said the complaint shows there may be constitutional issues with the requirement. The ruling by the three-judge panel did not indicate whether it would have a nationwide impact or only apply to the states under its jurisdiction. Twenty-seven states have sued the Biden administration over its vaccine mandate for businesses with one hundred or more employees. The rules released Thursday would require those employers to have employees vaccinated by Jan. 4, 2022.
Hackers have breached organizations in defense and other sensitive sectors, according to a security firm. At least one of the organizations is in the United States. Palo Alto Networks says the hackers stole passwords to gain long-term access to these organizations’ networks. It’s unclear who is responsible for the breach. But some of the attackers’ tactics overlap with those used by a suspected Chinese hacking group known as “Emissary Panda.”
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